Step we Gailey

Sorry. After feeling a bit under the weather yesterday, what with the heat and humidity, I'm a lot better today and so a bit even more pathetic humourwise. I forgot to give the answer to the day before's question last time: There's No Business Like Show Business first occurs in the earlier musical Annie Get Your Gun and White Christmas was first sung by Bing in the musical Holiday Inn, so in each case a successful number spawned a completely new film.

We thought at first we weren't going to get away today. I woke still feeling a bit dopey and dizzy and the boat was leaning over, well aground. At five o'clock I threw some clothes on and walked down to Longford Lock, expecting to find a paddle up or a gate left open, but all was well. The pound, however, was a good foot to eighteen inches down and all the moored boats aground. It might be that a paddle had been left up and another boater had sorted it before I got there. Either that, or that pound leaks atrociously.

The walk did me some good, so after a cup of tea we had breakfast and considered our options. It was possible to push Sanity Again away from the towpath back into deep water and the weather didn't seem too bad, so we set out, working up Penkridge Lock and stopping to water above. Crafty Foxes from Mercia came by as we were doing this and then preceded us up the remaining locks to Gailey.

In turn, we worked up Filance, Otherton, Rodbaston, Boggs and Brick Kiln to tie just in front of Crafty Foxes below Gailey. It's nicer down here than above the lock, much more open and with a better width of channel outside us. Once we'd tied and the washing machine had finished its stuff, we had a walk up there.

There are just a few boats on the long term moorings and only one on the visitor provision. Meantime, these moorings have filled up – all right, another boat arrived. Traffic continues to be steady rather than heavy, with a few hirers setting off from the yard.

We went up to the Round House after lunch to indulge in ice creams but otherwise have largely been loafing, though Sheila has done the month end financial chores. Tomorrow, another easy day, up the final lock onto the summit and then on to Coven Heath.